


Chiliarch

by proskynesis



Category: Ancient History RPF, Classical Greece and Rome History & Literature RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-16
Updated: 2019-11-16
Packaged: 2021-02-10 03:28:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21457615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/proskynesis/pseuds/proskynesis
Summary: Susa, early 324 BCE: Hephaestion has a rude awakening.
Relationships: Alexandros III of Macedon | Alexander the Great & Hephaistion of Macedon, Alexandros III of Macedon | Alexander the Great/Hephaistion of Macedon
Comments: 9
Kudos: 60





	Chiliarch

Hephaestion became aware that someone was moving about in his room. 

He tried, with a massive effort, to become fully conscious, but it was like slipping deep underwater every time he closed his eyes. It was still resolutely dark outside. He gave up, rolled over and burrowed further into the blankets. Last night had hardly been anything out of the ordinary: wine, dancers, a couple of flute-girls… but he had been looking forward to sleeping it off until mid-morning at least. 

Then the intruder tripped over something, cursed, and sent whatever it was they were carrying skittering away over the tiled floor. 

Hephaestion smiled grimly into the pillow and wondered what god he had managed to offend this time. Who _was_ this clumsy fool? One thing was for sure; it could hardly be an assassin. It was probably an ill-trained slave. Hephaestion promised himself he would find out, just as soon as he woke up. Then he would thrash the living daylights out of them. 

Suddenly, he felt the bed shift under him. Whoever it was had got _onto_ the bed. Hephaestion froze, fully awake now, hand inching towards the dagger under the pillow. 

He twisted quickly round, planning to grab whoever it was by the neck and throw them to the floor. Only then he saw who it was. Alexander, eyes glittering in the near-darkness. 

Hephaestion stared back, then blurted out “It’s you.” Eventually he blinked, to stop himself staring, and loosened his grip on the dagger. “I was just about to spit you. Or strangle you, I don’t know which.” He fell back against the pillow.

Alexander shrugged. “Who else would the guards let through unannounced?”

“I’m surprised you found even the guards awake at this hour,” Hephaestion said conversationally. He yawned, widely, to make a point, then wrinkled up his nose with a frown. “You stink of bath oils.”

Of late it did seem that Alexander was trying to compensate for Gedrosia by bathing at least twice a day. But then Susa was hot, even so early in the year.

Alexander flopped down beside him. “I’ve come to discuss business.”

Hephaestion groaned and buried himself face-first into the blankets. 

“_Alexander_. Can’t it wait? At least until after I’ve had some breakfast.”

“I brought you breakfast. It’s over there, on the side-table.” 

Hephaestion raised himself up to look. Even in the gloom he could make out a mixer of wine and a plate of bread and fruit. 

Alexander pulled an apple out of a fold of his chiton and began to eat it, loudly. 

Hephaestion could feel his jaw beginning to twitch. He shouldn’t have sat up so fast, either. Now he felt sick. 

“You wouldn’t do this to any of the others, you know,” he said in a low, dangerous voice, a few seconds later when his vision had stopped swimming. “You wouldn’t turn up in their rooms at first light, wake them by crawling all over them, then expect them to be content with your leftovers.”

Alexander flashed him a sidelong look. “Of course I wouldn’t. Which is precisely why I’m here. And they’re hardly leftovers – that’s a jug of finest Thasian wine, shipped in not two days ago. Well. It _was_ a jug of finest Thasian wine...”

“So that’s what you dropped when you came into the room?”

“It was dark! And you left a footstool in the way.”

“I apologise. I was not expecting the king of all Asia to be sneaking around my room with a breakfast tray.”

Alexander raised his eyebrows. “Come on. Eat. I want to talk.”

Hephaestion knew he couldn’t win this. Resigned, he fell back against the pillow and stared up at the dark chasm of the high ceiling. He let his eyes slide shut and took deep, calming breaths. The scent of apple was sharp in the air.

“You’ve got an idea. I can always tell when you have an idea,” he said eventually.

“How do you know?” Although he was speaking round a mouthful of apple, Alexander managed to sound genuinely puzzled.

Hephaestion resisted the urge to open his eyes and glare. “Because every time you have an idea you become insufferable until you’ve found someone to tell it to, that’s how. You’ve been like this ever since you were a boy. Let’s not waste any more time. Out with it.” 

“I want to marry you to Drypetis.” 

That at least had been discussed before. 

“And I want to make you governor of Babylon.”

_That_ was new. “You’re offering me _Babylon_ as a wedding-gift?” 

“It would be good for the empire, of course. It needs a centre, some stability.”

“Alexander. It really is too early in the morning to make decisions about matters of state. Let’s discuss this later—”

“And I’m going to formally acknowledge you as my second-in-command, of course.”

Hephaestion sat up so fast that his head almost collided with Alexander’s. 

“You— _what_?" 

“I can do as I wish. I'm the Great King!” 

“Hubris, Alexander!” Hephaestion made a quick warding sign with his hand, but he was grinning. 

“And I wouldn’t _be_ Great King if it wasn’t for you… so I wish you to be my second-in-command.”

Hephaestion was surprised at quite how tight his chest felt at this admission. They stared across at one another, openly, until Hephaestion cleared his throat.

“You must not say such things.”

“I do not fear to, when they are true.”

“Alexander. I don’t—"

Alexander interrupted, holding his hand up. “I want you acknowledged. I gave the others diadems, yes, but there can only be one second-in-command. And I want that to be you.”

Hephaestion’s heart was beating fast.

“Do you not want it?” Alexander narrowed his eyes. “I could marry Drypetis to Craterus, if you’d prefer.” 

“Poor girl,” Hephaestion managed to comment much more dryly than he was currently feeling. “I’ll send her my condolences.”

“Hephaestion!” For the first time, a flash of real anger. “Of course I wouldn’t marry her to Craterus. I told you before, I want our children to be blood-related.” 

“I know. They will be.”

“You accept, then?”

“Of course I accept!” It was everything Hephaestion had ever dreamed. He had always been jealous of his position; he would be a fool not to be. It was not easy, being philalexandros. Especially after India.

Alexander embraced him, kissing him chastely on the lips. He tasted of apple. Hephaestion, despite himself, felt a stab of desire and moved to deepen the kiss, but Alexander pulled away. 

“Well, come on, get up!” Alexander was literally dragging him up off the bed, laughing. “There’s so much to be getting on with! You’ll need a title, and there should be a ceremony of some kind—” 

And just like that, the headache was back in full force. Hephaestion pushed away, scowling against the pain.

“Alexander. I love you with all my heart, and I am really very grateful, but I _swear_—”

“Alright, alright! It’s not my fault you stayed up drinking all night! You always did act like a bear with a sore head after a cup of wine. I’ll leave you to get up. But come and see me at once, I’ll be waiting.” 

And with that, Alexander was gone. The room seemed suddenly very quiet. 

Hephaestion fell back onto the bed and stared up at the rafters, watching the faint grey light begin to creep across them. _Second-in-command._ Even at the thought of it, his heart beat high in his throat again. And the idea of Craterus’ _face_…!

He stayed as he was until, sometime later, the boy came in with a bowl of warm water. Then he sat up and called for more wine.

**Author's Note:**

> There’s some debate as to when Alexander appointed Hephaestion as chiliarch. I chose 324 because I felt it was more likely and it also worked best for the story.


End file.
